Page 32 - Duct Tape Marketing

Identify Your Ideal Client

Now, carefully comb through the list with an eye on profit. Which
are your most profitable clients? Are there entire types of work or clients
that traditionally produce unprofitable sales? I know it sounds crazy,
but most businesses take on work that in the light of day ends up being
a waste of time at best.

The key is to understand the most profitable work. Is it a certain
product or service, type of engagement, or even a challenge that you
enjoy solving the most? (This is often a good time to resolve to get rid
of work that you know is no longer profitable.)

Step 2: Add Referrals
Now let’s divide that list again. From the profitable work identify

clients that are known referral sources. Here’s what I’ve found to be
true: only happy clients refer, and happy clients are most often found
because you and your approach are a good match for what they needed.

This narrow group of profitable clients, the ones that also refer,
holds the key to discovering your ideal client profile.

Step 3: Study the Demographics
From your narrow, referring-client group, start looking at the physical

characteristics that are known about your ideal client group. You’re look-
ing for any common characteristics that are shared. Marketers call this
“demographics” and often stop here and go buy a demographic selected
list to do some outbound marketing. While I think that demographics,
such as age, income, and even zip code, can be important, they are only
a part of the story and are useful in an outbound marketing kind of way.

Step 4: Research Client Behavior
The secret to attracting, as opposed to hunting, your ideal client is

understanding what makes them tick, what triggers them to go look-
ing for someone like you, and what behavior they typically exhibit that
might act as another marker for you to focus on. This is the essence of

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